Team Player by Cindy Jefferies Page A

match. Roddy was the most nervous he had been all year. Like all the final games of the competition, it was being played on the Stadium pitch, and loads of students would be turning out to watch.
    Roddy sat on the bench next to Geno as he laced up his boots. “Don’t worry about goals,” he said. “They’ll come. Just keepfinding good positions, and let me and Keira feed the ball to you.”
    Geno grinned. “I’m not worried any more. I just hope Marek’s not too shaken after letting in five last week.”
    â€œYou know Marek,” said Roddy. “He’ll be fine. He’ll have convinced himself that they were all our fault. Since deciding that his change from striker to goalie was the right one, he’s been so full of confidence.”
    â€œNow!” said Sam, before Geno could reply. “This is it. It’s all or nothing. Moore have already won the House Cup, and Charlton’s season relies on you. You’re our only chance of winning a trophy this year. We can’t let them score, or we’ll need two to win it, so I want a strong defence today, and try to grab a goal on the counterattack. That means Eboni and Ashanti helping out Jess and Mike at full-back, and Roddy andKeira dropping deep into midfield to help Stephen. Hopefully Moore will tire themselves out attacking, then we can overrun them at the end. We’re a better side, and today is the day to prove it. A win will give us the first-year cup. I know you can do it. Charlton for ever!”
    â€œCharlton for ever!” came the chorus from the team, followed by the clatter of football boots on the tiled floor of the team-talk room as they jogged out to meet their opponents.
    It was a perfect day for such an important game; hazy cloud was blocking the glare of the sun, and keeping the temperature warm but not stifling.
    Moore and Charlton jogged down the avenue of trees towards the pitch, masked from the crowd by the dense foliage until they emerged by the lucky seats. Roddy wasthe first to touch the nearest seat for good fortune, and every other player followed suit. An approving roar went up from the crowd, particularly the Moore fans, who had enjoyed the privilege of sitting in them for the past year.
    The Charlton fans were clustered on the opposite side of the pitch, with the neutral Banks and Stiles supporters in between.
    The teams emerge onto the pitch, and Charlton know that only a win is good enough today. Moore will take the cup with a draw, but no doubt they’ll be trying to win in style, so it should be an entertaining match. Charlton have been in all sorts of trouble recently, but word is that the dressing-room disputes have been resolved with the promotion of Jones to captain.
    The referee checks his watch, and the match is underway, accompanied by a roarfrom the crowd. As we expected, Moore are certainly not playing for a draw, and have come flying out of the blocks today. The Charlton midfield trio of Sanders, Jones and Mbeki are working hard to contain the threat, but their solid defensive work is leaving Perotti isolated up front once again. The striker’s goal drought looks set to continue if the midfield can’t link up with him, but Charlton seem more concerned with keeping things tight at the back, and nicking a goal on the counter.
    Moore’s full-backs are pushing forward to add weight to their attack, but Mbeki reads the game brilliantly to intercept a pass and suddenly the break is on. Mbeki to Sanders, to the new captain, Jones. Jones looks up and sees Perotti making a run through the defence. Jones lofts a peach of a pass for Perotti to run on to, breaking the offside trapwide open. Perotti is one on one with the keeper, Larsson comes out to meet him, and surely Perotti must score… No! Denied by the goalie’s fingertips, and the loose ball is hacked away by Polly Ratcliffe in the Moore defence. A good chance goes begging for Charlton, and that